Steering-wheel post.



G. E. SMITH.

STEERING WHEEL POST.

APPLICATIONI FILED AUG.25, 1916.

@2135} 1. Patented Jan. 23,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

G. E. SMITH.

STEERING WHEEL POST.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25,'19I8.

Lg} 3 31 1., Patented Jan. 23,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1% K m W ##7277/727 SAALTE PATENT @FFTGE.

GRANT E. SMITH, F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO POUVAILSMITH COR- PORATION, 0F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

STEERING-WHEEL POST.

tit?) from suitable metal Application filed August 25, 1916.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANT E. SMITH, a resident of the city of Poughkeepsie, in the county of Duchess and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Steeringheel Posts, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates more particularly to steering wheelsposts, that is to say, the easing which surrounds and in part supports the steering wheel shaft. Steering wheel posts have heretofore generally been cast and thereafter machined to size or drawn from metal to form a tubular post, and in practice considerable inconculty of casting and machining, or drawing the same to exact size to fit the adjacent parts.

The principal object of this invention is to obviate these inconveniences and difiicultics, by provling a steering post which, notwithstanding its tubular construction, will maintain itself in rigid and proper alinement at all times and particularly during shipping, and which may be molded or otherwise formed with such exact dimensions as to enable it readily tobe assembled with its associated parts, i

he accompanying drawings show one embodiment of the present mvention, and there- Specification of Letters Patent.

produce a structure of 'tages of drawn metal plastic material, nally of the post,

Patented Jan. 23, 1917. Serial No. 116,761.

33 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sections, the planes of the sections being respectively, the lines H and5-5 in Fig. 3. he principal object, aforesaid, of my invention may be accomplished by the use of a plastic material for the steering wheel post, such material being preferably condensite or bakelite or one of the condensation produots of phenol and formaldehyde. substances may be readily molded to exact size and thereafter hardened by suitable heat treatment. lVhen so molded and hardened to form a tubular post, such materials great inherent rigidity admirably adapted to hold its shape, and in such a structure the advantages of a heavier cast and machined post are provided without excessive cost while the disadvantubular construction are entirely eliminated. Moreover, by our bedding in the molded material the connecting wires. as presently described, a tubular post of added strength can be produced.

As shown in the drawings, plastic material a. is preferably, though as at presentbelieved not essentially, molded upon a wooden core Z). This wooden core may be of materi..l assistance in molding the plastic material and it will, to a certain extent, effect an economy in manufacture because less plastic material may be required when used. The condensite or like material permeates the wood of the core, thereby greatly strengthening the core and so unites itself to the wood during the molding process that a substantially integral steering postis formed. The wooden core maybe-tubular or solid when the molding is effected, and if solid it is subsequently bored to receive a steering shaft 0, and to provide a slight clearance as indicated at (Z.

e requisite number of Wires (1 previously referred to may be preferably to lie longitudias shown. As a preferred method of embedding the Wires in the plastie material of the post, they may he first .1nlaid upon or attached to the preferably Figure l is a side elevation of an illustra- Wooden core 6 in the positions whic they so tive steering wheel post assembled; the steerare to permanently occupy, before the plasing wheel, parts of the steering-gear and the tie material is applied thereto. The subsepost; Fig. 3

hood of a motor vehicle being shown partly in section and partly in elevation; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the lower end of the is a longitudinal section on line quent covering of the core with the plastic material and the molding of the same there on secures the wires permanently in position and not only covers and protects them but may thoroughly and completely insulate them electrically. It may be entirely feasible in view of the insulating properties of the plastic material to embed bare wires in the post to form the several electrical circuits.

Suitable switches e to control the several electrical circuits may be mounted upon the steering wheel post in sutiicient proximity to the wheel to be readily accessible to the operator, and suitable outlets for the circuits may be provided by binding-posts f located preferably at the base of the column.

The switches herein shown are merely for purposes of illustration and the specific details of their construction and their operation inopening and closing the several circuits will be sulficiently understood and need not be herein described in detail. As shown, bases or mountings g for the switch boxes are molded or formed integrally with the plastic material while contact points h are embedded therein and held firmly in place thereby. The appropriate connections may be made between the contact points it and the wires 03 preferably before the plastic material is molded about the wooden core,

and, as in the case of the wires d, the contact points It together with the binding-posts f may be attached to and held in position by the wooden core during the molding and hardening of the plastic material. In the finished structure the contact points of the switches and the several binding-posts may be completely insulated by the plastic material molded around them.' Metallic or other caps i may be secured to the switch bases 9 and may carry appropriate switch control mechanism to cooperate with the contact points 72..

\Vhen the post is assembled, the lower end may be supported as usual by a collar y secured to the casing for a steering gear, denoted generally by 70, while its upper en may be supported by a usual to the dash m, (see Figs. 1 and 2). As shown in the drawings, the steering wheel shaft 0 is connected to and supported at its lower end by the steering gear is, while the upper end is journaled in the steering wheel post. To form a suitable bearing the plastic material of the post may extend inwardly beyond the wooden core at n;,the shaft being thereby journaled directly upon and against the plastic material.

In assembling the completed steering wheel post into the motor vehicle the'sevoral electrical circuits may be completed by connecting the leading ends of the several conductors attached to the vehicle to the respective binding-posts upon the lower end of the steering column.

An electrical circuit may also be provided for heating the steering wheel or for locating upon the steering wlnel rim a suitable switch button for closing a horn circuit and bracket Z bolted as V 7 ing of molded plastic the core, and a connecting wlre for con- 120 the means for completing, the circuit are herein provided as follows: the heating coil or l'luI'Il button not being shown in the drawings. A ring 0 may be connected to a wire 7; leading to a corresponding binding-post located at the base of the column, in the same manner as the connecting wires d. The ring 0 may be embedded in the plastic material at the top of the steering Wheel post and a brush 1" which is electrically connected to the heating coil or horn button by a wire 8, may be so mounted that as the wheel turns it will always maintain its contact with the ring. The return circuit may be through the steering wheel shaft to ground.

In the claims which follow the word condensite is used to refer generally to any plastic material capable of being molded to exact size and thereafter forming a rigid hardened insulating material. It is to be understood that the invention may be variously embodied and modified within the scope of the subjoined'claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. A. steering wheel post for motor vehicles, comprising a hollow core adapted to contain the steering wheel shaft, and a covering of molded plastic material around the core and adapted to maintain the post in rigid alinement.

2. A steering wheel postfor motor vehicles, comprising a hollow wooden core adapted to contain the steering wheel shaft, and a covering of condensite molded onto the core and adapted to maintain the post in rigid alinement.

3. A steering wheel post for motor vehicles, comprising a hollow core adapted to contain the steering wheel shaft, and a covering of molded plastic material around the core and extending inwardly to form a hearing for said shaft.

4. A steering wheel post for motor vehicles, comprising a hollow core adapted to .110 contain the steering wheel shaft, and a covering of molded plastic material around the core, said plastic material extending beyond the core and inwardly at one end to form a bearing for said shaft.

5. A steering wheel post for motor vehicles, comprising a hollow core adapted to contain the steering wheel shaft, 2. covermaterial secured to trolling any electrically operated part, inclosed between said core and plastic material.

6. A steering wheel post for motor vehi- (ales, comprising a hollow core adapted to 1% contain the steering wheel shaft, a covering of molded insulating material secured to the core, and a connecting Wire for controlling any electrically. operated part, in

closed and held between said core and insulating llliliiilfll and electrically insuiarcu by said n renal.

7. A steering Wheel for L chicles, computing a ho a i HDiIGCl tc contain the steering sheei shaft, a covering of inclded insulating material secured to the core, longitudinal Wires embedded in said insulatin material and held between the same and said core, connecting terminals for said Wires embedded in said material, switches operatively conn cted with said Wires, and a switch mounting formed integrally with said covering.

8. A steering wheel post for motor vel1icles, comprising a single tube containing a.- hardened plasticunaterial enabling the post to be molded to exact size and niaintaining it rigidly against distortion, and means embedded in insulated by said material to electrically connect two or more terminals.

9. The improvement in the art of assembling a plurality of electrical conductors which includes mounting said conductors upon a permanent core of insulating material, covering said conductors with a moldable plastic insulating material, and hardening said plastic material to retain sai conductors permanently between said core and said plastic material.

10. The imprm'enient in ti sembling a plural which includes .rno and suitable terminals t of insulating; material, 7 core with a moldablc plastic run. i mterial thereby to cover said conductors and insulate said terminals, and hardening said plastic material to unite the same to the core.

11. The improvement in the art of male ing steering Wheel posts for motor vehicles Which includes mounting switch contact points with nuecti g electrical ductors and conuuctcr rminz'rrls upon a core of i1 ting' material, surrounding said core with a moldahle plastic insulating material, and hardening said plastic material thereby conductors and to insulate said contact points and terminals from each other.

1.2. As an article of manufacture, a support for a plurality of electrical circuits comprising in combination, a hollow permanent core of insulating material, a plu rality of electrical conductors attached to said core, and a covering of moldable plastic insulating material surrounding said core thereby completing the insulation of said conductors exterially and from each other.

13. As an article of manufacture, a' support for a plurality of electrical circuits comprising in combination, a hollow Wooden core of insulating material, a plurality of electrical conductors attached to said core, and a covering of inoldable plastic insulating material surrounding said core thereby completing the insulation of said conductors other.

14. As an article or" manufacture, a sup port for a plurality of electrical circuits comprising in combina i n, a core of in ulaty oi electrical conduciu u'iaterial, a piuralit. tors attached to said ccrca terminal for each said conductor likewise attached to said core, and a covering of moldablc plastic matcrial surrounding said core thereby completing the insulation of said conductors and insulating said terminals from each other. in testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this twenty-third day of August 1916.

GRANQ E. SMITH.

to completely insulate said exterially and from each 

